Tonight's Movie: China Passage (1937) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

CHINA PASSAGE (1937) is a minor RKO "B" picture just released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

Vinton Haworth and Gordon Jones play Tommy and Joe, mercenaries of a sort who are hired to guard a precious diamond being delivered to a shop in Shanghai. When the diamond is stolen in an elaborate scheme, Tommy and Joe round up suspects seen in the area that evening, played by Constance Worth, Joyce Compton, Leslie Fenton, Dick Elliott, Philip Ahn (billed as Philip), and Alec Craig. Tommy and Joe are under considerable pressure to recover the diamond -- their lives depend on it!

Unfortunately Tommy and Joe have no leads and must let the suspects go, so they hop a ship bound for San Francisco...and every single one of the suspects also books passage. It's a perilous voyage, with poison and murder a constant threat. And it just might be that the mystery won't be solved by Tommy or Joe, but by Jane Dunn (Worth), who turns out to be a federal agent.

The personable Worth almost single-handedly keeps the story afloat. She's upbeat and determined, carrying on with her job even when faced with chauvinism; the annoyed ship's captain tells her flat out that "A woman's place is in the home." She's also very forthright in admitting to her growing feelings for Tommy. (Incidentally, the Australian Worth's accent is explained away that she's an American who was educated in England.)

Joyce Compton plays her trademark dingy character with verve, and it's fun that there's a little more to her here than meets the eye. I would have liked to see more of Lotus Liu, Jane's assistant in the Shanghai scenes. The rest of the cast, including leading man Haworth, are all frankly pretty bland.

The film is a quick 65 minutes, so its trio of interesting actresses, the shipboard setting, and the photography of Nicholas Musuraca make this mystery a decent enough time-passer. Otherwise there's not a whole lot to it.

The movie was directed by Edward Killy. The supporting cast includes Frank M. Thomas, Lotus Long, Billy Gilbert, Alan Curtis, and Anita Colby.

The Warner Archive DVD print is quite nice, with good sound. There are no extras.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.